Today as I was jostled awake and placed into my chair, I was thinking of my children. I’ve been so blessed with each child God gifted to me.
I drank my coffee and looked out my kitchen window at the many bird feeders and birdhouses. This is a treat in every season. The feeders are low thanks to a squirrel who has decided to live on the Alley compound. I know my Ben will fill them for me. He also keeps my flowers watered by the window in the living room so I can see the hummingbirds zip in to feed every day. He has chosen to be my primary caregiver. A part of me hates this because he is putting his life on hold to care for me. He reassures me that he is okay and wants to be my person. We live one day at a time and this time with him has been so fruitful. I thank God for it. He makes living in a chair not just bearable but sunny.
Then I thought of my oldest Ian. He just started a new career and got married. I say little prayers for him throughout the day. He has chosen a tough career, but he assures me it is one he enjoys. I can’t believe he is just a year away from being thirty years old. My sons have become men overnight. They each love our family fiercely. They each bring joy to our lives. I’m so blessed for the love they give us.
Oh my youngest was a gift from above, too. I hate that my body started to betray me while she was so young. I couldn’t be the field trip chaperone mom. I couldn’t fix her hair because my hands and arms atrophied first. I feel she was cheated of the physically strong mother her brothers had. We made the best of the situation. Now, she’s on the cusp of her senior year in high school. As I thought of her this morning, I smiled. She’s on a summer adventure in New York City. She studying her two of her favorites: theatre and journalism. She’s staying in the heart of Manhattan at the Fordham University Lincoln Center. Each day I check my messages and there’s a new adventure. “Mom, guess what?” Me excitedly, “WHAT? WHAT? WHAT?” Abbey replies, “Just saw Sarah Jessica Parker getting on the subway. No big deal.” Me “NO WAY!” Then she tells me, “Yup, going in the subway by Central Park near the Brownstone neighborhood.” She’s 895 miles from me, but our hearts are always together. I know she will fly far from me but nothing not even ALS can separate our hearts. She will carry us along. It is sad that our season of parenting is coming to a close. The dynamics will change, but that’s life. When I think of my children, I am so humbled that God chose me to be their mother. I’m grateful for each moment and memory. It’s been my greatest adventure.
Sarah Anderson Alley
Sal the Mom Gal
Quotes of the Day:
“My children are the reason I laugh, smile and want to get up every morning”
Gena Lee Nolin
“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”
Fredrick Douglass
“The greatest legacy one can pass on to one’s children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one’s life, but rather a legacy of character and faith.”
Billy Graham
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